Crappies Under Light

[motley man]

Use that Coleman lantern on the ice at night to get the shrimp, and other wigglers under the ice to gather. This will bring in the fish to eat. Havn't done this in years and it worked great this weekend. Panfish are moving in.

[IamZombie]

Not sure if that falls under this or not.

Quote:

Using an artificial light to lure or attract fish is unlawful. Exception: While angling, a person may affix to the end of a fishing line a lighted artificial bait with hooks attached. Any battery that is used in lighted fishing lures must not contain mercury.

[FBMH]

I dont think it will fall under that. I always use a light at night plus what do they expect you to do? Fish in the complete darkness? It shouldnt be unlawful

[Swimmer]

I think if your intent by using a light in a shelter was purely to attract fish, then you would violate this provision. Given that attracting fish is a byproduct of lighting your shack, then IMO you are good to go.

[magnum mike]

We used to auger a partial hole in the ice for the lantern back in the Red Lake crappie boom days and set the lantern in the hole so it wouldn't blow out. We did this when we were not in a shelter (running & gunning). We were given a stern warning by the CO this was not legal.

[cold one sd]

If the lantern wasn't sitting in a hole from an auger I'll bet he wouldn't have said a word about it. Intent is hard to prove.

[tsande00]

We used to auger a partial hole in the ice for the lantern back in the Red Lake crappie boom days and set the lantern in the hole so it wouldn't blow out. We did this when we were not in a shelter (running & gunning). We were given a stern warning by the CO this was not legal.

I actually like the idea of that...not for the idea of catching or attracting fish, but it'd be impossible to knock over the lantern if you had it seated down far enough into the ice. One less thing to worry about when Fido is with.

[fishnowworknever]

I was told by a CO that if you SUBMERGE any type of light in the water to attract fish, it's illegal. Anything that is on the ice or above it is perfectly legal.

Like FBMH said, they don't expect you to fish in complete darkness.

[gman2002]

i think it's legal in wisc.

[tsande00]

I was told by a CO that if you SUBMERGE any type of light in the water to attract fish, it's illegal. Anything that is on the ice or above it is perfectly legal.

Like FBMH said, they don't expect you to fish in complete darkness.

Is ice considered water though? I mean could a guy put his lantern in the ice? I can't see why that would be illegal.

[Slabasaurus]

Ice is water in its solid state ... If a CO wrote me up for that being under water and used to attract fish, I'd go to court to fight that. Pretty sure you'd win in a heartbeat. Intent and whether water, ice, and steam are all "Water." Furthermore, if the actual light was above the ice, just the base was drilled in, your light was above the water.

there's no law in WI that outlaws using lights to attract fish. At least in the 2010 regs.

[fisherking01]

I would bet there will be new wording to the law soon. very vague language, and this is why new language is needed. The law is there for the reason of unfair chase as far as fishing is concerned. If you're intent is to get as many fish as possible out of a lake by any means, nothing said here will change your mind. As for me, I like the idea that my kids and future generations will enjoy fishing for fishing, and not for greed. I choose to follow the laws and not beat the system by a technicality. The law is there for this reason.

[Love2Cabin]

So what about about when I turn the lights on the Marcum vs380 to see what is going on down there?

[My_Key]

It's my understanding that if you're camera physically lights the water, it's illegal. Infrared lights aren't.

As for the lantern in the hole, I'm sure it's considered illegal, because you would be enhancing the light emitted from the lantern through the ice. Out of curiousity, I may have to drill a test hole this weekend and see how much it physically lights the ice up.

[scott b]

Ever see fish when you turn them on? To fish it's like an "evacuate the area immediately" sign.

[Love2Cabin]

I just got it so I have only tried it once at night. The fish had stopped biting but I could see that there was still something down there on the flasher so I lowered it down to see what I could see. I could not see very far but did see 2 or 3 crappies. They were not very excited, they just sat there like they were sleeping. I was surprised, I did not think I would be able to see anything after the sun went down.

[fish2morrow]

I never knew this. Good to know. Thanks.

[south_metro_fish]

I have been wondering about something for a wile about the artificial light law. I was wondering if you could take one of toughs super small glow sticks like you can use on some bobbers and attach it above your minnow by about 6" or 8 ". It technically would be a lure. I suppose if that would be illegal you could find one of toughs lures that you could put a glow stick in and use it like a dropper but it would be nice to just use the stick.

[Kellc1]

You just described a product that I was reading about just last week. They called it a crappie candle. It is tied "in line" about 6"-12" about your bait. I was thinking it would not be legal in Minnesota.

[Kellc1]

If I may ask - are you talking about shallow, like 5-6 feet on a flat, near deeper water?

THX

[jigginjim]

For many years we would place a candle next to the hole when fishing crappies at night. Nothing was ever said about it. Maybe it's the candle power, 1 little candle Vs 1 giant candle (lantern).

[wahoo]

Some good questions. We fish in about 12 feet of water for Pike during the day in our permanent. Mornings and night we turn on our electric lights. We have white walls--that must look like a beacon under the ice! But, don't think it is illegal--or we'd all be fishing in the dark! (Sometimes I feel I am anyway.)